Moonrise - by Samuel Simpson Insert standard legal stuff here. This story may be freely distributed. Comments welcome. --------------------------------------------------------------- Sunset in the Pride Lands. A stiff breeze was blowing that evening as Simba, King of the Pride Lands, walked out onto the great stone ledge halfway up the east face on Pride Rock. For a few minutes, the young lion stood there, his mane blowing in the wind as he surveyed his kingdom. Then, he sat, and settled down to wait. As the sun set, the shadow of Pride Rock stretched out across the savanna, until at last it merged with the gathering twilight. The sky shaded from blue, to deep purple, then black, and the stars emerged one by one. The full moon rose, and thin wispy clouds drifted across it. Still, Simba waited. The silence was broken by the sound of soft paws scraping on cold stone. "Hey, Simba," called a voice. Startled, Simba looked over his shoulder, then relaxed and smiled. "Hey, Nala." Nala looked worried. "Simba, it's late. What are you doing out here?" "Well... It's kind of silly." "It's okay," said Nala, as she came and sat down near her mate. "Whatever it is, you can tell me." The two lions huddled together for warmth and nuzzled against each other affectionately. Simba sighed and looked out at the stars. "My father used to do this sometimes. He said I'd understand when I was older." He paused, then rested his head on his paws. "I was kind of hoping that he'd speak to me tonight. I know he's up there watching, but it's been so long. I miss him..." "We all do, Simba. We all do..." More time passed. The moon rose, slowly. Nala shivered with the cold. "Did your father stay out here all night?" Simba thought for a moment. "No. Usually, he only stayed out until..." Suddenly, he blinked, as if he had just realized something. "Until mom came out to meet him..." Slowly, a broad grin crept onto his face. He cleared his throat. "Hey Nala, fancy a trip down to the water hole?" "The water hole?" asked Nala, confused. And then her eyes widened. She smiled seductively and leaned closer to Simba. "What's so great about the water hole?" Simba's grin grew even wider. "I'll show you," he whispered, "when we get there." Suddenly Nala cried, "Race you!" She sprang to her feet, turned, and raced down the ledge. "You're on!" shouted Simba, tearing off after her. The two of them bounded down the slopes of Pride Rock like a pair of overgrown cubs and vanished into the night. Moments after Simba and Nala had gone, a real lion cub poked his head around a corner. "All right!" whispered Tanabi. Quietly, he crept out of hiding, and started to follow. Before he had taken three steps, a winged form dove out of the sky right in front of him. Tanabi was so surprised that he slipped and rolled down the slope and crashed into a boulder. He sat up, and blinked. "Zazu?" Zazu landed and brushed his wings off angrily. "That's quite far enough, young master!" He walked up and jabbed a feather in Tanabi's face. "Just what do you think you're doing? It's way past your bedtime!" Tanabi got up. "I just wanted to see where dad's going," he said, with his best innocent smile. Zazu looked a bit taken aback. "Your mother and father are... that is too say... it's not important!" Tanabi smiled. "Then they won't mind if I go and watch, right?" He started to walk around Zazu, who immediately intercepted him again. "Absolutely not. You can't go and that's final!" "Why not?" "You'll understand when your older. Now off to bed with you. Off, off!" "Awww," moaned Tanabi. He stalked off in a huff. Zazu sighed "That cub's just like his father at that age. I'm definitely getting too old for this." Suddenly, he shot a suspicious glance at the night sky. Was it just his imagination, or had he just heard a deep, bass chuckle from the third star on the right? Shrugging, he flapped his wings and sailed off after Tanabi. ------------------------------------ Sam Simpson (sfsimpsn@ix.netcom.com) Irving, Texas